9:30am Sunday 7th March 2010
By Sam Revell
THE man whose distinctive hairstyle is only trumped by his marvellous name looks down at his packed suitcase, ready to hit the road for another tour.
“Touring is my favourite thing to do and I can’t really think of any reason not to do it – I guess that’s why I’m so prolific,” explains Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner, who plays the O2 Academy in Bournemouth on Thursday.
“I spent so long not being able to do anything while my wrist was recovering that now I’m so thankful for being able to tour and play, that I can’t seem to stop,” says the 25-year-old.
Listen to Newton talking to Sam about his creative stage shows and quirky covers
The Newton Faulkner express was derailed back in December 2008 when he fell on some ice and fractured his wrist – his dreadlocks unable to break his fall (although, he says, they had acted as a comfy scarf, pre-tumble).
A metal plate was put into his wrist and he was unable to even pick up a guitar for months.
“During that period I managed to write a lot of material, because it was pretty much all I could do. It was kind of a blessing in disguise, because I do think I became a better songwriter.”
It also provided him with the title of his second album, Rebuilt By Humans, the follow up to Hand Built By Robots.
While Newton may be a prolific tourer, he’s keen to point out its not just a re-hashing of the same old show.
“From the last tour we’ve taken out some of the visual elements in places, and enhanced them in other places.
“When the videos are there they should hopefully have more impact. The visual stuff is really fun to do, and it’s slightly childish. But it definitely adds something to the show – it’s not just me and my guitar.”
One addition to the Faulkner musical armoury is his foot pedal machine – it has no official name – where he plays chords with his feet that correspond to images on a screen while he also plays the guitar and sings at the same time.
“I’ve actually been playing the pedals for years, but using them sparingly. I used them more when my wrist was down and they became part of the live show.”
Some audience members still find it hard to accept that one man is doing everything.
“Well, I can assure them that it’s just me,” he laughs. “We have a few more tricks up our sleeves for this tour, so hopefully I can bamboozle them some more.”
Another feature of his live show is a fun mix of cover versions – often ones you wouldn’t expect. “They’re usually just the result of me messing around while I’m watching TV,” he says. “I’ve just finished working out the whole of Blackstreet’s No Diggity. I played the chorus on my last tour but now I have perfected the whole song.”
He has covered Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Massive Attack’s Teardrop and Kate Nash’s Foundations among many others – but no cover has captured the imagination of audiences quite like the one about the little yellow cartoon character.
“Spongebob Squarepants!” says Newton, in a slightly exasperated tone. “People do get really passionate about it, and demand it at gigs – but I’ve got a lot better at just saying no.
“If I do it once again then it will be straight up on YouTube, and I’ll be forced to play it at every gig for the rest of my life. It’s still fun to play, though, and I don’t regret ever doing it.”
He’s turned his attention to David Bowie’s Life On Mars, but he’s giving himself plenty of time to achieve it.
“Oh, I’ll be doing this music thing forever,” he says. “I’ve found the one thing in life that I’m good at so I’m sticking with it. I suck at everything else!”
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